Having used the Jio Phone for a week, we thought we should definitely talk about Reliance Jio’s smart feature phone. Games editor Rishi Alwani and reviews expert Aditya Shenoy join host Pranay Parab to discuss all things Jio Phone. We start by mentioning that the Jio Phone may be effectively free but there are certain riders associated with it. You need to purchase recharges worth at least Rs. 1,500 per year to get a refund on the sum you paid for the smartphone. Then both Rishi and Aditya share their first impressions of the Jio Phone.

While the phone may be very affordable, does that mean it is reliable? Aditya answers that question first. We look at what the Jio Phone can do and how easy or difficult it is for Android phone users to switch to a Jio Phone. Aditya talks about the build quality, the keypad, and the display. Since the phone is going to be pretty much always online, we also discuss its battery life and how Internet usage affects this. Battery life and performance are going to be the two biggest aspects of using the Jio Phone.

Then we move to the most common questions you have about the Jio Phone. The first of these is whether the Jio Phone can be used as a hotspot. Aditya answers this and other questions patiently, with Rishi chipping in with inputs. We discuss whether Jio Phone can run WhatsApp and how we managed to get Telegram running on the phone. Then we talk about the camera of the Jio Phone and whether it’s any good.

Finally, we talk about the voice assistant on the Jio Phone and whether it is as smooth as it was during the Reliance AGM. Aditya shares his experience with the voice assistant and even mentions how things turned out when he spoke with it in Hindi. Then each of us throws in our opinion on whether people should buy the Jio Phone and whether it will be available easily anytime soon.

That’s all for this week’s episode of Orbital, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, or just hit the play button below.